ailing 'money tree plant'

roksee(Benicia SF Bay Area)December 15, 2013

hello. I don't know the formal name for this plant. It was just a little guy when I bought it...now it is about 3 feet tall.
It is in a very large tub with holes at the bottom.
It was healthy for a year or so... then this...'
Does anyone know what these leaves are trying to say to me? Thanks
Lynne ps it is in front of a South window, but filtered.

It's in a huge volume of potting mix, first of all.
I would downsize considerably - by at least half. Secondly, give it direct light...as much as possible this time of year. Continue to fertilize at 1/2 strength or 1/4 strength if you're worried about fertilizer burn. During the Winter, treat it more like a succulent, watering when dry, which may be every 5 - 10 days depending on weather, warmth, light, and vitality.

Indeed! My personal fertilizer is Foliage Pro 9-3-6 by Dyna Gro, and it is available at most hydroponic shops (I know you have those in the Bay). If the shop carries other Dyna Gro products, they should be able to order Foliage Pro if they don't stock it. It runs about $20 for a quart, and you use 1 teaspoon per gallon of water for full-strength during the Summer. The beauty of Foliage Pro is that it contains all the macro and micro-nutrients, so you wouldn't have to supplement with Calcium or Magnesium. One stop fertilization.

Josh that plant is absolutely beautiful...and I clearly see that my pot size is WAY off. Do you notice the difference in the 'stem' of my plant as opposed to yours? Are there different varieties or something ? mine is crisscrossed.

Typically, they're sold braided - several trunks braided together while the stems are green and pliant. But I actually grew mine from a leaf, and so it has just a single trunk. They are the same variety.

Don't be upset that a Pachira Aquatica has been troublesome. They were very briefly fashionable in commercial interior landscaping (because they were cheap) until everyone realised how unreliable they were.

The joke at my place was that they were in fact an annual, because after a year they dropped dead.

Hey, Lynne!
Thanks for the follow up! I hope you had a merry Christmas. I'm glad to see the tree in the sunlight there...that'll really help it recover. When you downsized, did you get a chance to look at the roots? Were they in good condition, and was there a good root-mass? Healthy Pachira roots have an orange to tan to yellow and white sort of color.

Hi Josh.... well I don't really know what to look for but as I transplanted the roots looked healthy to me... and I'm getting lots of new leaves now ..the way it used to be. So I'm thinking all is well.
It feels good to save someone. :)
Lynne